Srila Prabhupada - Vedic Teachings

  „ As the śāstra gives regulative, we have to accept that. And if we do not accept that, yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ [Bg. 16.23], if we do whimsically, then na siddhiṁ sāvāpnoti, you cannot get any perfection of life, na sukham, neither you'll be happy. So it is the injunction of the śāstra, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu also inaugurated this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement for the benefit of the whole world. And it is being accepted practically. So this is the only way to save us from all kinds of difficulties, upadrava. Upadrutāḥ. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). There will be upadruta, so many times. So we should accept, mataṁ ca vāsudevasya. We should accept the instruction given by Vāsudeva and the śāstra, sādhu. Sādhu, śāstra, guru, they'll speak the same thing. Guru means who speaks on the basis of śāstra; otherwise he's not guru. And śāstra means the opinion of the great authorities. Just like Vyāsadeva, Parāśara Muni, Nārada Muni, mode

- This is an important article to understand this issue regardless of whether one likes or dislikes the writer. -  The  Sastric  Basis for Srila Prabhupada's  Continued  Diksa  Status by  Krishnakant In this paper we shall look closely at a number of objections raised against Srila Prabhupada remaining the  diksa  guru for ISKCON in relation to the eternal principles of guru,  sadhu  and  sastra . We shall show that the continuance of Srila Prabhupada as the  diksa  guru for ISKCON is in total harmony with these principles, and that specifically with regards Srila Prabhupada's books, it is an unavoidable natural consequence of our theology. We shall demonstrate that Srila Prabhupada's position as the  diksa  guru for ISKCON cannot but prevail if our preaching is properly in line with Srila Prabhupada's teachings. 'Guru,  Sadhu  and  Sastra ' One common objection to keeping Srila Prabhupada as ISKCON's  diksa  guru, through the use of representatives as outli

  Room Conversation with Dr. Christian Hauser, Psychiatrist -- September 10, 1973, Stockholm: Prabhupāda : If you chant, then, behind the chanting there are so many things. First thing is ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, cleansing the heart. All disease are due to unclean heart. Disease means uncleanness. Is it not? Dr. Hauser: Hmm. Prabhupāda: Yes. So our material disease means unclean heart. So we have to cleanse the heart. And this is the process. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Matthew 15,1-20: Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” 3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’[a] and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[b] 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God

„ Prabhupāda: That is . . . karma jagat means that if you have to raise this house, then you have to cut the wood somewhere. You have to destroy somewhere, and then you can make house. You have to adjust things like that. You cannot create. This house was constructed, created, by destroying somewhere else. Is it not? So where is your creation? Creation is God's creation. He has created everything, and if you want to create, you have to destroy somewhere. That is karma. ” (Garden Discussion on Bhagavad-gita Sixteenth Chapter -- June 26, 1976, New Vrindaban)  

  - Heaven - „When the pure soul wants to give up the Lord's service to enjoy the material world, Kṛṣṇa certainly gives him a chance to enter the material world. As stated in the Prema-vivarta: kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare. This is the reason the pure spirit soul falls down to the material world. Due to his activities under the influence of the three modes of material nature, the living entity takes different positions in different species. Sometimes he is a demigod in the heavenly planets and sometimes a most insignificant creature in the lower planetary systems.” (SB 5.14 Summary) „So heaven is described in the Vedic literature as tri-daśa-pūr. Tri-daśa-pūr. Tri-daśa-pūr means there are 33,000,000's of demigods, and they have got their separate planets. This is called tri-daśa-pūr. Tri means three, and daśa means ten. So thirty-three or thirty.” (Lecture on BG 2.3 -- London, August 4, 1973)   “Since the human form of life is the sublime position for spiritu

  - Hell - Prabhupāda: He may not believe, but hell is there. If... You read this book. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ [Bg. 14.18]. Read this verse. Just see how misbelief, that there is no hell. Just see. In this way, misled, whole world. The so-called rascal leaders mislead, "There is no hell. Don't believe in hell." Vivekananda said, "Yes. There is no hell." (Room Conversation with German Women Philosophers -- June 17, 1974, Germany)   The great sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī answered: All the hellish planets are situated in the intermediate space between the three worlds and the Garbhodaka Ocean. They lie on the southern side of the universe, beneath Bhū-maṇḍala, and slightly above the water of the Garbhodaka Ocean. Pitṛloka is also located in this region between the Garbhodaka Ocean and the lower planetary systems. All the residents of Pitṛloka, headed by Agniṣvāttā, meditate in great samādhi on the Supreme Personality of Godhead and always wish their familie

  - Planets - „… Ladies and gentlemen, regarding Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement... (about microphone:) It is working? We are talking about the spiritual existence of the living being. By evolutionary process we come to the human form of life, and here we have got developed consciousness. We can decide now which way to go forward. There are different planetary system. That we can experience. We can see innumerable planets, upwards and downwards. So the upper planetary system is called Svargaloka, or the heavenly planets, and the middle planetary system is called Martyaloka or Bhurloka, in which we are staying at the present moment, and the down planetary system is called Pātālaloka or downwards. Downwards means fall down, upwards means getting promotion, and middle means we remain where we are now. That is... Indication is given in the Bhagavad-gītā, ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā: [Bg. 14.18] "Those who are cultivating the modes of goodness, they are promoted to the higher planetary

                                                    „…There is a planet which is called Siddhaloka within this universe. In the Siddhaloka they have got full perfection of life. And sometimes the yogis can demonstrate. In the Siddhaloka, for going from one planet to another planet there is no need of vehicles, no need of aeroplane. They can fly themselves in the sky. Sometimes we have seen pictures—a beautiful man and woman with wings. That is, of course, imagination. Maybe. We have not seen the inhabitants of the Siddhaloka, but we find it from Vedic scriptures that they can fly in the sky without any help of aeroplane or similar machine. They travel from one planet to another by yoga-siddhi. As the yogis can transfer themselves from one place to another without any difficulty, similarly, the inhabitants of Siddhaloka, they can fly in the sky. (aside:) What is that? Yamunā: In Siddhaloka there are angels? That means angels? Prabhupāda: Yes. [break] There are many different types